Germany

The death of an anti-nuclear protester, run over this weekend by a train carrying radioactive waste, has prompted new unease in France about the transportation of nuclear materials through the countryside.

Environmental campaigners say that the death of Sebastien Briat, 21, who had chained himself to the franrailway track in front of a train carrying 12 containers of radioactive waste, illustrated the dangers of this kind of transportation. Activists said the accident showed how difficult it was to guarantee the security of the cargo as it travelled along the nation's rail network.

The European Commission's forward programme on decommissioning and waste management (D&WM) covers all the decommissioning of all existing installations (operating or otherwise) and the treatment of waste that exists or results from the decommissioning process. The programme is set to be reviewed every four years, primarily so as to take account of any new plants that may be built in the future. The aim is to decommission all existing plants up to "level 3" as soon as possible. This means removing any nuclear materials, any waste and radioactive equipment and any trace of residual radioactive waste in the buildings. The Commission is also investigating the green field option, where the structures are demolished and the land is returned to its original state.

A plan to upgrade two nuclear reactors in Solvakia may force Western governments to stop dithering over nuclear safety in Eastern Europe.

Ever since the reactor at Chernobyl exploded in 1986 spewing radioactivity over more than 20 countries, Europeans have lived in fear of another large-scale nuclear disaster. That fear grew when the Iron Curtain fell, revealing the full extent of the problems with nuclear plants in the former Eastern bloc. It also fuelled a fierce debate: should Soviet-designed reactors be shut down or could they be made 'safe'?